The Past Should Stay Forgotten
by Lina Cross
Summary: Jessica is only a cop. Ordinary. But if that's true, why is Magnus so interested? And Why can't Jesse remember why she's interesting? R and R, please!
1. Chapter 1

So, I decided to start writing my own version of Sanctuary. For those of you who have read my works, you know this is my style and it's just what I do. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Sanctuary. I do own Jessica.

**. . .**

She looked around, not searching for a book this time. Though it was difficult, being in the huge main library of the city, Magnus needed to control herself. She was looking for a person. Possibly an Abnormal.

There. By the fantasy section. She was unusually pretty for a librarian; slim, a little curvy, with sleek dark hair pulled into a pony-tail. She wore gray dress pants and a lavender blouse with black, fashionable glasses. She was replacing books back onto the shelves with a studious expression. Magnus approached her confidence.

"Hello, may I help you, miss?" she asked with a mildly curious expression.

"Actually, yes." said Magnus, removing her own glasses. "You wouldn't happen to be Jessica Duxon, would you?"

"Why, yes." she said, surprised. "Can I ask who's wondering?"

Magnus smiled. "My name is Dr. Helen Magnus. I heard about you from your colleague."

"Which one, Briant?" Jessica asked.

"The very same." Magnus replied. "He told me you were one of the best on the force, but that you had-"

"A mind for the unnatural? Yeah, I've heard." she interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Why are you looking for good officers again?"

"I believe you'll be an excellent addition to the Sanctuary."

Jessica looked taken aback. "The what?"

"I can tell you more, but not here."

She looked unsure, as though she wanted to know but uneasy about the vacant promises it could provide. "I don't know. What are you asking me?"

"I want you to come with me so I can show you what I'm talking about. We deal with mysterious and wonderful things, Jessica, and sometimes it gets dangerous. We might need you to help us with those things." Magnus looked her in the eye. "Are you willing?"

Jessica backed up and flattened herself against a bookshelf, looking fearful. "This isn't a joke, is it?"

"No." said Magnus, looking at the girl with compassion. This must be a shock for her, but she should have dealt with things like Abnormals before, if her information was right. "Here's my card if you change your mind."

The girl took the card wordlessly, taking one last look at Magnus before she grabbed the book cart and moved off to another section. The Abnormal doctor watched her go, knowing they would meet again.

**. . .**

Jesse woke up the next morning to the sound of her alarm. Time to get ready for the day. She rolled over and spotted the business card on the nightstand. She stared at it, trying to see if she could make the decision that had eluded her the night before. She couldn't, so she rolled over onto her back and thought about what Chief Bryant would say. There was no one she looked up to mare than that man, who seemed to handle everything with ease.

But this problem was so personalized, she couldn't imagine anything he could say. That doctor yesterday was so odd, talking about things that were wonderful and dangerous. It didn't seem real. And she'd called her Jessica. The officer hadn't been called that since her last job interview six years ago. Where had she come from?

But, time was running out and she would be late for work, so she pulled on her uniform and headed over to the station on her black motorcycle.

"Hey, Jess." said Officer Duncan.

"Hey, Scott." said Jesse, entering the office with a tray of coffees. "Latte for you?"

"Yeah, thanks. I think Josh had the black." he said as she handed him the coffee.

"Thanks. Here's your bagel."

"Oh, hey, we didn't make you go to the bakery." he said, happily surprised.

"That's why I get up early. People are hungry." she replied, handing the other officers their breakfast.

"You have got to be the nicest person I've ever met."

"Tell that to the gun." she joked, tapping her belt.

"Hey, Jess, I got a call for you." said Chief Bryant, poking his head out of his office. "Downtown by the arena."

"What've they got?" she asked.

"Say there's been a robbery at the bank, but no one seems to know what happened. Or remember." he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the bank was robbed, and there were several witnesses, but everyone says nothing happened." He gave her a look. "It's right up your alley. I'm thinking blackmail or someone's scaring them into silence, but it's your case. Better get down there."

"Can I take the new bike?" I asked excitedly.

"You're the only one who knows how to drive it." he said, disappearing back into his office.

"Yes!" Jesse whispered, pumping her fist. Scott laughed as she dashed out of the offices and hopped onto the blue-and-white bike, turning on the siren and speeding off for downtown New York.

"Officer! Officer, over here!" called one of the other policemen when she'd entered the bank. She headed over.

"What've we got?"

"So, at exactly nine o' clock this morning twenty-five thousand dollars in cash was stolen from the bank." said the commanding officer.

"Did we catch the guy on tape?" Jesse asked.

"That's just it." he said. "There's no tape."

"Come again?"

"This guy's smarter than the others. He took the security tape as he was roaming the facility."

"How would he have the time before the police came?" she asked, startled.

"No one knows." he said. "And that's another thing. Everyone swears they saw nothing. We questioned everyone in the..."

Jesse was only half-listening. She'd just seen someone go by the window who looked a little strange. Something in her gut told her this guy was someone she needed to confront. Maybe he even had something to do with the robbery. "Excuse me for a moment, officer. I'll be back." Even though he'd been interrupted, the officer didn't seem to mind her departure. She dashed out the door and down the brick alley by the bank. She saw him by the dumpster, heading to the fence at the end of the alley. "Excuse me sir! Excuse me, can you please stop for a moment? Sir!"

The moment he knew she was onto him, he took off. She followed in hot pursuit, gaining the whole time. She managed to corner him by the fence. "I won't hurt you if you do this right." she said. "Now, tell me, did you have anything to do with the bank robbery that happened this morning?"

"So what if I did? Why should I tell you?" he laughed.

"Because I am an officer of the law and you will do what I say."

"No." he said simply, chuckling slightly.

Jesse grabbed him by the front of the shirt as he tried to take off again and pinned him against the fence. "You're coming with me!" she snarled. He swung both his arms up at the same time, catching her in the chest. She heard something crack, and an explosive pain erupted within her. She automatically pulled out her gun and fired two shots at the figure running down the other end of the alley. She knew she'd hit him. She'd seen it. Holding her lower rib cage, she jogged down to where his body should have lain.

But it wasn't there. There was no sign of him at all. No blood, no body, no bullets.

"Are you all right?" asked someone she couldn't see. Jesse turned, wincing at the pain in her ribs. There, at the opening of the alley, she saw the strange doctor from the library.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"The same thing you were." Dr. Magnus answered. "Until he got away."

"What, are you with the police now, too?" she asked, gritting her teeth and sitting down against the brick wall. She pulled on her radio, fully intending to call for backup.

"No, but I do something quite similar. That was a pretty spectacular performance you just executed. Not many can do that." She said, impressed.

"Yeah, training comes with the job. Hey, Bryant, I need some backup down here. I caught the guy who did the robbery, but he got away. I'm not in any shape to run after him." Jesse said into the radio.

"Where did he head off to?" was the answering call on the radio.

"Down South Street, looked like he was on his way to Barry."

"Do we need a medical vehicle?"

"As far as I know, I was the only one hurt. I'll be able to get back to the station all right. Go get him."

"Profile?"

"Tall, pale, bald. Black trench coat. Scar below hos right eye. British..."

Jesse gave a detailed account of the man who'd attacked her, the whole while being watched by Dr. Magnus. When her conversation was over, she put the radio down, paused for a moment, then painfully stood up.

"Would you like me to take a look at your ribs?" Magnus asked.

"No, I'll be fine until I get to the hospital." Jesse answered, heading out of the alley.

"I'll drive you. You're in no fit condition to ride that motorcycle anyway."

"Says you." She retorted.

"I would know, actually." Magnus said patiently. "My daughter drives a motorcycle."

"Kudos for you. Can I go now?"

"I would like to drive you to the hospital. It would make me feel better."

"I don't live to make you happy, Doc. Just let me do my thing." Jesse said, attempting to get onto the bike.

"Do you want to know why that man you shot isn't dead?" Magnus asked suddenly.

"Probably because I missed."

"You know as well as I that isn't true. You're the best shot on the force, and there were no bullets in the alley." She smiled. "You hit him both times, Jessica. I was standing right there."

Jesse looked at the other woman, thinking. She knew she'd hit him twice, but she figured she'd sound crazy if the guy was totally fine, like she knew he was. The two prospects were so conflicting, it made her head hurt and she didn't want to think about it. But there was _something _ weird about this case. People who didn't remember a robbery, a man who won't die. She wanted answers.

"Fine."

Magnus smiled and opened the car door for her. The doctor got in on the other side and backed the car out of the parking lot of the bank. "I've been trying to contact you for a while." she began.

"Why? I'm not that special." said Jesse.

"See, there's the problem." said Magnus, smiling a little. "Everyone has told you for so long that all you are is just a great member of the force but that's absolutely not true. You've got excellent talent and a great eye for the out of place. We could use you."

"Okay, you've told me that already. The only reason I got in this car was so you could help me with this case. So out with it. What do you know?"

Magnus sighed. "The man you're after is something we call an Abnormal. Someone whose DNA has been altered drastically past the norm. This one happens to have...regeneration built into his."

Jesse turned to stare at Magnus when she realized the woman looked highly uncomfortable. Her shoulders were tense, and expression was carefully indifferent. "You know this guy, don't you?"

"Once I did. He's...changed."

Jesse rolled her eyes. "I can't believe this. All of this is just a set-up to get me to join Sanctuary, isn't it?"

"No, Jessica, I promise you it's not."

"And stop calling me Jessica! You sound like my mother!"

"But you don't mind that, do you?"

Jesse was slightly confused. "Of course I do! Why would I bother saying it if I didn't?"

"That's a brilliant American accent, by the way." she said, changing the subject.

"Of course it is. I'm American."

"Stop fooling yourself." Magnus said harshly. "Why are you running from your past, Jessica? You moved here from England when you were twelve, do you remember why?"

"I - no, what the hell are you talking about? I've lived here all my life."

"Jessica, stop this!" she exclaimed, whipping the car around so fast Jesse had to grip the sides of her seat. "If you won't tell me who you are and where you came from, then so be it. I only ask you to tell me _why_ it's so important that you forget!"

"Look, I have no idea, who you are, and I'm about to call you in for operating a vehicle under the influence. My name is Jessica Duxon, I live in an apartment on the south side of the city, and I work for the New York police. I grew up in Philadelphia with my parents, Aida and Luke, where they still reside today. I visit them every Christmas and I've never been to England in my life. I remember every important and unimportant thing in my life since the time I was three. What past is there to forget?"

Magnus parked the car and stared at her. "You really don't know who you are, do you?"

"I just told you who I am!" Jesse yelled, wincing as the shouting pained her ribs.

The doctor gave her a pitying look. "Come on. Let's get you inside, it's starting to rain." She came around and helped the officer to get out of the car, then to get through the doors of the building they were parked at.

"What the hell is this place?" Jesse snapped upon entering. "This definitely doesn't look like any hospital I've ever been in."

"That's because it's not." said Magnus a little guiltily. "It's the Sanctuary."


	2. Chapter 2

Jesse stopped walking and stared at the woman. "That's it. I'm calling you in for kidnapping."

"Go right ahead, I won't stop you."

She stopped her hand midway to her radio. "You're just gonna let me call the police on you?"

"Certainly, if that is what you feel is right." Magnus answered. "I only ask that you tell them to arrest us outside the facility, as there are things here that cannot be shared with the public just yet."

Jesse narrowed her eyes. "You're keeping illegal stuff in here, too?"

"No, absolutely not. This is strictly a research facility on rare and wonderful creatures. I won't allow anything against the law within these walls."

She relaxed the hand on her radio. "Fine. But if we aren't at a medical facility, what am I supposed to do, 'cause I'm not feelin' so hot right now."

Magnus straightened up. "Yes, right. I am a doctor, so I'll be able to do anything necessary. Right this way."

**. . .**

"Magnus? You called for me?"

"Ah, yes, Will. Come here for a moment, will you? I need you to tie this off while I take a look at her vitals." said Magnus, handing off the roll of bandages as he approached.

Will smiled at the girl a little uncomfortably. Her shirt was off, but luckily she still had am undershirt on. It was pushed up to allow the wrappings. Though he tried not to look too closely, he couldn't help but notice how muscular she was, for being so small. She just gave him a weird look. "So who are you supposed to be? The unsure accomplice?"

He looked confused. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Well, your girlfriend over there just kidnapped me, so am I to understand that you're her partner in crime?"

Will laughed nervously. "She's kidding, right? You didn't really kidnap her, did you?" he asked Magnus.

"She got into the car willingly, so I would presume that doesn't fall under the legal definition."

Will shook his head mock-despairingly. "Sorry if she caused you any trouble. She gets like this when she's excited about a new finding."

"As long as you get me back to the station, I'll be fine." she answered shortly, picking up her shirt from the table.

"I'll take you myself, just in case." he assured her with a smile.

She looked him over, as though she were finally curious about him. "Hey, you wouldn't have worked for the police at some point, would you?"

"Actually, yeah, I did, as a forensic psychologist a couple months ago. Why?" he asked.

"You're Will Zimmerman." she said, realization coming over her face. "I know people who have been wondering where you've disappeared to."

Will gave her a calculating look. "I'm sorry, who are you again?"

"Officer Jesse Duxon. I work with Sargent Bryant."

"Ah, I knew him. I worked the Copper case with him."

"I know, I was there as a trainee." she responded. "You were ridiculous in the assumptions you were making. But I suppose you had more ideas than anyone else. Perhaps that's why the case was never solved."

"Will, I called you here for reasons other than tying a knot." Magnus interrupted.

"Right." he said. "What do you need?"

"Your psychiatric skills." the doctor answered, turning away from the monitor to look at him. "I need you to help me with something. Follow me." She lead the two of them out of the medical room and into her office, carefully avoiding any routes that would take them through or past the Shoe. "Please, be seated." she told them, leaning against her desk. "Jessica, I know you're not going to want to hear this, but please bear with me. Will, I need you to help her remember her past."

Jesse groaned. "I already told you my boring past. There's nothing exciting about it. Look, I think you've got the wrong person, so-"

"Jessica, please, sit back down until I've finished." said Magnus forcefully. Jesse sank irritably back down onto the couch. Will was surprised. He hadn't yet known Magnus to keep someone in the Sanctuary against their will. "Will, if you would please work with her, I need to go figure out why my own past has suddenly decided to turn up." Saying this, she left the room, leaving Will and Jesse alone on the couch.

Will turned to the officer, slightly embarrassed. "Well...I suppose we should start with you telling me the last thing you remember."

"Remember about what? I already told your crazy doctor that I grew up in Philly and go there every Christmas. But for some reason she seems to think I've forgotten my other life in England, which is impossible because I've never been there in my life." Jesse snapped.

Will was startled. "You mean you remember everything from when you were little."

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

He was now thoroughly confused. "Wait, so you _do_ have a past that you remember clearly?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

Will took a deep breath and put his head in his hands. "Okay, so what now? As long as I've known Magnus, she's never been wrong. There must be something we're missing." He thought for a moment, then sighed. "I guess I should ask you some questions, then. What's the very first memory you have?"

Jesse rolled her eyes, but gave in. "Asking my mom how to spell my name."

"Okay. What's your mom's name?"

"Aiada."

"Good, I guess. Is there anything unusual about your day-to-day life that you can think of?"

"No."

Will sighed. There was nothing intriguing about this girl. What did Magnus see?

"Actually...that's a lie." she said slowly.

He looked at her. "Go on."

"Every night, I get these weird headaches." she said, expression changing from irritation to slight fear. "I don't know where they come from, and any type of meds do nothing to help."

"How long has this been happening?"

"About a month now."

"Have you told anyone else?"

"No."

"Not even a doctor?"

"No. They're not normal headaches." she insisted. "They come back every night, and sometimes I can't seelp, not because of the pain, but because of _something_ that I feel. I can't explain it."

Will gave her a long, hard look. "Is that all?"

"As much as I can tell."

"I'll let Magnus know about this when she gets back. In the mean time, I'll drive you home."

**. . .**

The basement area was dark, cold, and slightly damp. Magnus could smell the mold growing on the walls. It was precisely the place she hoped to find him.

"Looking for someone?" asked a condescending voice from behind her.

"Not anymore." she answered, turning around.

"Why have you come to find me?"

"Enough with the games, John. I want to know what you did to her."

"To who?" asked John Druitt, genuinely curious.

"Jessica. The girl who shot you."

"Oh, _that_ little brat. It took a while to get those bullets out. No need to worry, I only fractured a few ribs, as you must know by now." he said, smiling down at her.

"That's not what I meant." she snapped. "What did you do to her mind?"

"Her mind?" he repeated, taken aback. "Nothing. What would I want with that? She is nothing to me."

"Don't give me that, John. How could she suddenly have an alternate past the moment I begin looking for her just after _you_ rob the bank she gets sent to?"

"I must insist, I have no idea what you're talking about." he persisted.

"Then who wiped her memory?" Magnus shouted.

"I don't know, the Cabal, maybe? But here's an idea! Maybe it would be best if you stopped wasting your time hounding me about it when you know full well I have not the capability to do such a thing." John said angrily. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have twenty-five thousand dollars in cash to hide."

Before Magnus could stop him, he vanished into thin air, leaving her behind to soak in her irritation.

**. . .**

"So, basically, you're saying you don't have any idea what happened, yet you were gone for four hours."

"Well, no, not exactly." said Jesse uncomfortably. She felt weird standing in the Sargent's office in jeans, a white shirt, and gray cardigan rather than her uniform. The tool belt and radio had hurt her fractured ribs. Will had driven her home first so she could change, and then thoughtfully had waited so he could drive her to the station. Now, she was being interrogated on her disappearance by her boss.

"Come on, Jess." said Sargent Bryant, leaning back in his chair. "You went MIA for a while after you were sent out on a robbery case, then you just show right back up without any more information on the case. Explain this to me."

"I was chasing after the guy-"

"What guy?"

"The guy I called you about on the radio." Jesse replied.

"Yeah, I mean, what made you go after him?"

"He was at the scene of the crime going down a dark alley and, well, quite frankly, something told me he was kinda shifty."

"So you had no hard evidence?"

"No. But if you want your original question answered, let me finish." she answered curtly. "I had him up against the fence at the end of the alley when he swung his fist out from nowhere and broke my ribs. I fired at him twice, but he still got away. So I radio'd over to you, then I went to the hospital. They wouldn't let me leave until they'd done a full check-up on me." She felt bad about lying to a policeman, but it was necessary to avoid any odd questions about where she had been.

"All right. I believe you." said Bryant. "We'll get some men out looking for this British baldy."

"Sir, there's something else." she continued. "I hit him both times."

He gave her a skeptical look. "So how is he still on the run?"

"No idea."

"Jesse, I think you need to take some time off."

Jesse was taken aback. "Wait, I'm sorry, what?"

"Only for a little while until you recover from your injury."

"No, sir, I'm fine, really-"

"No arguments, Duxon. I'll have Officer Duncan watch you to make sure you don't try and work this case while on leave."

"Sir, this isn't just a normal bank robbery and I have no issue with telling you that I think you're wrong this time." Jesse insisted.

"Duncan!" Bryant called. "Please take Duxon home and _watch her_."

"Please, sir, if you'd just-"

"Come on, Jess, we need to get you home." said Scott, pulling her out of the office. "We can take my car."

They exited the station, Jesse irritably not talking to anyone. She got into Scott's car, waiting for him to get in on his side. "You wanna tell me what this is all about?" he asked as they pulled out.

"I hit the guy twice." she stated.

"As in, punched him?" he asked.

"No, as in, shot him. Twice."

"But then we would have-"

"Got him? Yeah. No idea why we didn't so just keep...hang on, stop the car."

She had seen him again, but the moment Scott slammed on the brakes in the (luckily) deserted street, he was gone. As though he'd never been there at all.

"What, what do you see?" Scott asked nervously.

"Nothing." Jesse answered distractedly. "It's gone."

He looked at her, concern plain on his face. "We seriously need to get you home, Jess. You don't look so good."

Jesse nodded, and when they finally reached her apartment, she went into her room to sleep. Scott told her he'd be in the living room on the couch if she needed anything. She knew, as he did, that she wouldn't, but the gesture was kind enough anyway.

Sleep. Maybe that would make this whole, crazy, nightmare of a day seem less intimidating. Sanctuary. Ha. There was no such thing. It was all just some plan to get her to second-guess herself. But why? No. She didn't need a reason. They were crazy. There wouldn't be any good reason.

**. . .**

Jesse awoke later that night absolutely starving. She entered the kitchen, intending to grab some leftover salad, when she noticed Scott was no longer on the couch. "Scott?" she called. Hearing no answer, she went into the kitchen and spotted the brightly-colored note on the fridge.

_Jesse,_

_Don't worry. They called me back to the station 'cause they got the guy from the bank. I'll probably be back before you wake up, but if I'm not, DON'T LEAVE THE HOUSE!_

_~Scott_

Jesse snorted. She didn't feel like leaving the _apartment_ anyway, even if it were a house. She crumpled up the note and tossed it into the trash, somehow feeling slightly lonely.

Suddenly, she heard a huge crashing noise, so she ran to the window to investigate. There, she found three people completely covered in black coming in on wires. They spotted her, and dashed forward to grab her, but she danced out of reach. She grabbed a chair and fought one of the figures off with it, but another grabbed her from behind. She tried to scream, but he covered her mouth with a cloth, and then she knew no more.

**. . .**

"Duncan? Why are you here?" asked Sargent Bryant.

"You called me, sir." Scott responded. "You said you'd nabbed the robber from the bank this morning."

Bryant stared at the young man. "I made no such call."

"What?"

"Sir, we just received a call about a break-in at apartment 26B at the complex near the library." said an officer from her desk.

Bryant and Scott shared a look. "That's Jesse's place." Scott said, fear plain in his eyes.

"All right, everybody, move out! Get on it! We've got an officer's life on the line!" the Sargent called, grabbing his own gun.

**. . .**

"Magnus, we've got trouble." said Henry, entering the woman's office.

"What is it, Henry?" she asked, removing her reading glasses.

"Remember that Cabal theory you had? About them having something to do with your girl's mental issues?"

"I don't recall putting it that bluntly, but yes." she answered. "Why?"

"I've been monitoring them like you told me, and it looks like they've broken into her apartment." he answered, showing her the touch-screen pad.

"Wait, so they kidnapped her?" asked Ashley, also looking at the pad.

"When?" Magnus snapped, ignoring the question.

"Twenty minutes ago. Just got the security feed from her home camera. I suppose cops like all that security stuff, but I wouldn't want a camera all up in my business as I do what I do." he said calmly.

"All right, Ashley, go get Will. We're going to find her. Henry, follow us in the van. You may be able to track their progress. We need to move now."


	3. Chapter 3

Dark. That's all. Was she dead? If so, then where was she? This was neither Heaven nor Hell as she'd remotely pictured them. This wasn't anything. Had she been wrong about the afterlife?

But no. She felt pain. And you couldn't feel pain after you died. Everyone knew that. But why did her head hurt? And where was she?

"Doc, I think she's wakin' up." said an unfamiliar voice.

"Good, good. Remove the bag."

Jesse suddenly saw bright, harsh lights as the bag was lifted. She was strapped to a chair in some sort of medical room. But why?

"Do you know why you're here, Jessica?" asked the woman in a white lab coat standing before her.

"Who the hell are you?" Jesse tried to snap, but all that came out were low, slurred mumblings.

"I'll be asking the questions, dear, thank you. But I take that to mean you don't know. Allow me to explain. My name is Dr. Patricia Valance. And today, you-" She smiled lovingly. "are my test subject."

Jesse's eyes widened. "What?"

"Actually, you have been for a long time, but now I get to do some hands-on learning with you. Doesn't that sound fun?" Dr. Valance asked as she tugged on a pair of latex gloves. "But you don't remember me, do you?"

Jesse shook her head.

"I didn't think so. We replaced your memory shortly after we met, so I wouldn't assume so. You see, we did you a favor, Jessica. We took from you what would harm you." She laughed slightly as she filled a syringe with liquid. "But we knew it wouldn't last. So we've been planning on how to use you to the public's advantage. You see, you are a very rare type of Abnormal, one that would fetch a very good price on the black market should you be caught by the wrong people. So we had to put you into hiding. I'm sure you've already met Helen Magnus. She is one of those wrong should clear things up a little."

"Wha – what are you doing?" Jesse slurred nervously as Dr. Valance approached her with the syringe.

"Don't worry. It'll hurt, but you'll feel so much better afterwords." she said, smiling. "Just don't move. It'll all be over soon, and then we'll be doing better things with you."

"Wait! Wait, no! I don't – AHHHHH!" Jesse screamed as the liquid was pushed into her bloodstream. It burned like hell, and she wasn't sure if she could take it, but something was forcing her to stay conscious.

_Her home in England near the theater where she went with her parents to see movies. The zoo where she saw the lions and tigers and bears. The plays of Shakespeare performed in the other theater. Her best friend sharing frozen yogurt when her's had fallen._

_The fearful looks as people gazed at her, people she loved. The knowledge that something was wrong with her, but she didn't know what. The ravaged curtains, knowing it wasn't her fault but unable to explain the occurrence. _

_The monster invading her home. Her parents' pale, lifeless expressions as they lay on the floor. The girl with black hair and golden eyes, flashing her fangs and claws with an almost feline grace. Her best friend screaming and telling her to leave. To escape before they come again._

**. . .**

"Good job, Henry. You've lead us right into their offices." Magnus congratulated as they slipped into the main hallway.

"Yeah, thanks, Doc, but we still need to figure out where they're keeping Jesse." said the tech, staring at his hand-held device.

Suddenly, they all heard a scream come from somewhere within the facility.

"That would be her." said Ashley.

"Right. Will, Henry, take the left fork. Ashley and I will go right." Magnus commanded, leading her daughter down the right hallway where it split off.

"Okay, let's go." said Will, holding his gun up and taking off with Henry.

**. . .**

"There, see?" asked Dr. Valance as she watched the girl. Jesse was panting and shaking in terror, but that didn't seem to faze the woman. "Isn't that so much better? Now you know your identity. You should be thanking me."

Jesse, on the other hand, wasn't capable of speech had she even wanted to thank her. She just sat strapped to the chair, trying to forget what she'd seen.

"Now you know who you are. That means we can start working on bringing the _real_ you out of hiding. Won't that be nice?"

"N-no! I-I don't believe you! It's not real!" she screamed.

"Oh, really?" the doctor questioned. "Well, maybe you need a little more medicine."

"NO! Please!" she begged. "Stop!"

"It'll only be a little longer – What are you doing here?"

At that very moment, Henry and Will burst into the medical room, tasing anyone within range. "Henry, try to unhook her." Will called, shooting the woman holding the syringe. The tech ran to the control board, fiddling with the buttons.

"Hey, I got it. That wasn't so hard." Henry said, seeming to regard the facility's security system with contempt.

"Take my gun. I got her." said Will, handing off the taser as he tried to lift the girl from the chair.

"No! Don't touch me!" she shrieked, trembling.

"What the hell did they do to her?" Henry asked, glancing up from his hand-held.

"No idea, but she's unconscious now. We shouldn't move her, though."

"Sorry, bro, we ain't got a choice. Someone must have heard all the hullabaloo by now. We gotta book it."

"Right. Here we go." Will lifted her from the chair and carried her as they hurried from the room.

"Magnus, we got her." said Henry into his phone.

"Great. Meet us at the truck." came Ashley's voice.

"Ash, what-"

"Don't worry, we just ran into some trouble. We'll be out in a minute." she answered, hanging up.

He looked back at Will. "The girls are in trouble. Let's get to the van and see if we can do anything to help."

Will nodded and sped off with Henry.

"Okay, Will, drop her here and let's go help the doc." Henry ordered when they reached the van.

"We can't just leave her here, what if they come for her?" Will argued.

"Then stay here with her." Henry said. "I'm gonna go help the girls."

"Henry!" someone called. They both looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ashley and Magnus running towards them. "Get in the van! We'll follow!"

Henry nodded at Will and they loaded the girl into the truck as the guards came running out of the building. Ashley and Magnus jumped into the front seats of the car and drove ahead while the boys put the van into gear. "Go! Go! They're gaining!" Will called from the back, where he held his gun aimed at the car behind them.

"I'm tryin but this thing doesn't go any faster!" he yelled, practically standing on the gas pedal.

"They're shooting at us!" Will shouted as loud pops and bangs were heard.

"Shoot back!" Henry yelled.

"I can't see them! They're gonna hit her!"

"Do the best you can! I'll try and shake them off." said Henry. Not long after this, Will felt the van turn sharply to the right. He held onto Jesse as they went sliding into the side.

"Keep going, I think we're losing them!" Will called.

Just then, there was a screeching sound and a huge impact against the outside of the van. "Dammit! They got us!" yelled Henry.

"Can this thing still drive?"

"Yeah, but I don't know for how much longer."

"Keep going. Get to the Sanctuary. We'll decide where to go from there."

"Got it, Will."

"Will, Henry, are you okay?" Ashley's voice said from the radio.

"Yeah, Ash, for now, but we gotta get to the Sanctuary and I don't know if we can hold them off." Henry answered.

"Leave it to me." she replied.

"Look, up ahead. There's the Sanctuary." Will called.

"Yeah, I see it. We're almost there."

"LEFT!" someone shrieked. Will glanced over and saw Jessica leap off the floor of the van, stumble from the violent motion, then grab the wheel.

"Hey, what the hell are you-"

Before Henry could react, Jesse had twisted the wheel so the van swung left, narrowly missing another car coming at them. Shortly after, they rolled safely into the Sanctuary garage, rumbling to a stop.

They all sat in silence for a moment, stunned by their survival. Then, Jesse spoke. "Is it like this for you guys all the time?"

Will pondered the question for a moment, then nodded. "Most days, yes."

Henry turned around in his seat, looking severely shaken. "You okay?" he asked Jesse.

"Uh, sure. Can we just get out of this wreck now?"

"Sure. Maybe we should get you some food, too. You look like a jack rabbit that hasn't seen a meal for days." he said.

"Gee, thanks." she replied sarcastically, flopping down onto the floor of the van.


	4. Chapter 4

Will wandered down the hallways of the Sanctuary as he normally did, if only to get a few moments of quiet each day. He heard a noise coming from down the passage, so he followed it. There was a room down at the end he'd never bothered to enter before, and the noise was coming from there. It sounded like music.

He turned the knob and opened the door to find Jessica sitting at a piano, seeming to have changed out of her torn clothes and into the new ones Magnus had given her. She was turned to the side, eyes closed and her face an expression of intense, unbridled emotion. It moved him just to look at her, but the music she was making nearly brought him to tears. He had to get a hold on himself, though. There was no need to cry.

"Need something?" she asked, not pausing in her playing.

"I didn't know you played." he said, going to stand next to her.

"I didn't either until yesterday." she admitted.

"Are you okay?"

Jessica stopped playing and sighed. "I just found out my whole life has been a lie. The people I thought were my parents are working for the people who tortured me. And now I'm some sort of freak, and I'm not sure how because I'm pretty much your average Jo, just with a...complex past."

Will looked at her with sympathy. "I don't know, either, but we're working on figuring it out. Do you want to talk about your new-found past?"

"Would you promise not to repeat anything I tell you?"

"Patient confidentiality." he assured her. "Better than Boy Scout's honor."

She took a deep breath as she tried to recall the very beginning, determined to say everything out loud as though it would hurt a little less. "Dr. Magnus was right. I was originally from England. I had a fairly average life, you know? Best friend, two parents, older brother. But I had always known something was wrong with me." She looked at Will. "I figured it out on my own, mostly because everyone else seemed to know. My family members and Crissa, my friend, all seemed to know exactly why I wasn't like the other kids, but no one would tell me. All I ever knew was that I was...scary."

"What do you mean by 'scary?'" Will asked.

"I have no idea." she admitted. "All my years I've never figured it out. Those who knew me but not very well stayed as far from me as they could, and those who did know me well still tread lightly." Jessica paused and took another deep breath. "But, when I was twelve, something happened. A...monster...or something came into our house while Crissa was there. She murdered my parents, and then just disappeared."

"She? You mean Crissa?"

"No, the monster."

"Why do you say she?"

"Because I saw her. She had long black hair and claws, and bright gold eyes and she had fangs, and small horns and she looked kinda scaly and-"

"Hey, hey, slow down. Take it easy." said Will, trying to calm her down. At the memory of the monster-girl she'd begun working herself up and started hyperventilating. He was concerned, and wondered if they should just stop here. He put his hand on her shoulder, holder her firmly. He'd always found through his work as a psychologist that keeping a hold on someone helped them feel more down-to-earth. "Do you want to stop?"

"No, no. I can do this." she said, wiping her eyes. "I-I saw the...monster and then my parents were dead, and Crissa told me to run. So I did. I ran out of the house and went to my brother's place. He got me to America, where I was captured by those crazy people with the needles. I don't really remember what happened after that. I know it was similar to what they did to me yesterday, except in reverse, most likely."

Will waited a moment, but she seemed to be finished. She turned away to look out the window, so he removed his hand from her shoulder. "So...you still have a brother somewhere?"

Jessica nodded.

"He never tried to contact you?"

"I wouldn't have known. I'd never had a brother. Well, until yesterday." she said. "I have no idea where he even is now. Last I saw him, he was in London living with his fiancé."

"Well, maybe we can find him for you." Will told her. "In the meantime, I wanted to ask you something."

"Ask away." she said in a vain attempt to sound lighthearted.

He smiled slightly as she turned towards him. "Would you be interested in joining us at Sanctuary?"

She seemed to ponder the idea for a moment. "Well, since you guys are really my only chance at figuring out why everyone was afraid of me, and because you may be able to help me get into contact with my former life, I think I'll have to say yes to that."

Will's smile widened. "I'm glad to hear that. We can go to Magnus and let her know and maybe see if we can contact your brother. Then, perhaps, we can go get some lunch."

"All right, what've you got in the kitchen?" she asked.

"Actually, I was thinking something along the lines of Chinese." he said.

Jessica grinned for the first time he'd seen. "Only if that Chinese is of the Mexican variety."

Will chuckled. "I suppose I can make allowances." he sighed. "But I have to drive."

Jessica looked at the ceiling, as though she were considering his offer. "You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Zimmerman. I suppose that'll do, but I have to pay."

"No, that's not an option. I'm definitely paying."

"Then I suppose I'll have to pick the restaurant."

"I suppose I can deal with that, Miss Jessica." he said.

As she walked out of the room, she paused at the doorway. "Call me Jesse." she said. Her step was a lot more lively as she walked. Perhaps her new past hadn't completely traumatized her after all.


End file.
